How I Won the War
by luigi-is-stellar
Summary: Sonic meets Amy's parents for the first time in the 12 years he has known her. Hilarity, humiliation and horror ensues.
1. Ch 1: Awkward Encounters

"I can't believe you're doing this." The young fox sighed, continuing his tinkering, not looking at the fidgeting hedgehog beside him. Sonic's anxiety could be contagious sometimes.

"I know. I mean, what am I doing? Who does this sort of thing anymore?"

Tails finally paused from the work he was hunched over, flipping his goggles up onto his forehead. He had stopped working just so he could give Sonic that practically trademark derisive glance.

"Are you serious? That's **not** what I meant."

"Whut then?"

The fox sputtered out a guffaw at the blatant confusion on the blue hedgehog's face.

"Wow, Sonic. So you've known Amy for what . . . 12 years? And you've never bothered to meet her family?"

Sonic placed his fists on his hips and scowled defiantly.

"Well if ya hadn't noticed the obvious, I kinda don't do well in sit-down social settings." Tails shook his head and turned back to his work.

"Whatever. _I've_ met 'em."

"WHAT_?_" Sonic dropped his stance, and Tails held in a laugh at the genuine look of mortification on Sonic's face that he had glimpsed in his peripherals. "When was this?!"

"Um . . . a couple times a year? **Every** year?"

"How has this never come up in a discussion?" Sonic had his face in one hand, distinctly stirred up now.

"I met them, Cream met them, I mean Team Chaotix even met them -"

"CHAOTIX met them?!-"

"Rouge, I'm pretty sure even Knuckles met them once or twice-"

"Oh my God." Sonic's complexion was now pale. "Oh my God. Ok, ok, point taken, but seriously . . . you gotta help me. What are they like?"

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no." Tails laughed, putting a hand up at Sonic's face. "That isn't gonna happen."

Sonic smacked the hand down comically.

"Dude! Throw me a bone here!"

"No! You had this long to meet them- " Sonic buckled his knees to Tails' amusement, crawling forth in show.

"My _brilliant_ sidekick-"

"I'm 'the brains' to you, thank you very much."

"Please? C'mon! At least tell me their names – what do they do for a living?"

"Go find out for yourself!" Tails barked, unable to keep a laugh out of his voice.

"Fine!" Sonic got up from grovelling, irritably tossing a hand out. "Throw me to the wolves, you smug twin-tailed turd." Tails snickered noisily, dropping the wrench he'd been holding in his laughter.

"Yeah have fun with Mr. and Mrs. Rose . . . give 'em my regards."

"And you've become such a brat as a teenager. Y'know that?"

"At least I'm only now becoming a brat! That's practically your profession!"

* * *

><p>They pair stood out as pink and blue highlighters in the landscape of the forest, two striking dots of color in a mass of green and brown. Amy, for once, was in front of Sonic on the trail, boosting her knapsack up onto her shoulder. She caught the expression on Sonic's face, purely grim, and burst out laughing.<p>

"Sonic, don't be so nervous!"

"I'm not nervous." He glared, coming out of his reverie.

"Your voice is shaking."

"I'm _not nervous_!"

Amy grinned, looking at her feet before she glanced back at him.

"What." He demanded, starting to grin himself. "What're you smirkin' at."

"I've never seen you like this before." She giggled, and he rolled his eyes with a groan, looking to the sky.

"As if this wasn't difficult enough-"

"It's precious!" The words came out in a high squeak, and Sonic put both hands up to his face in exasperation. "Of all the crazy things I've seen you do without batting an eye, I never thought I'd see you nervous about meeting my parents!"

"Well, whadda ya want from me. I don't do well with families. In houses."

"I suppose you don't do well with walls, either?"

"I don't have a good track record with 'em, nope." He dropped his hands to his sides, exhaling loudly and shaking his head. "I can't believe I let ya talk me into this. I can't believe I-"

"Well, that's how it is, Sonic. If you want to officially start dating, you're gonna have to meet daddy."

"Hoo boy." Sonic closed his eyes, shaking his arms off anxiously at his sides.

"Well you know, I don't see why you get to be the nervous one." She gave him a hard look, and his eyes popped back open in surprise as she began to storm ahead.

"Excuse me? Are ya kiddin' me? You **know** these people!"

"Yeah, I do. And you haven't had to make up excuses to them for the past twelve years as to why the person that matters most to me just so happened to never show his face to meet them. If you weren't famous, I bet they'd doubt you even existed." She heard Sonic's footsteps falter behind her, and she turned to find him standing still, looking lost. For once in his life, he looked genuinely guilty about something.

"That's what I'm afraid of. D'ya think they think I'm a jerk?"

"Uh, yeah, Sonic. It's been over a decade – if you're not aware already, you've kinda been a jerk." She quickly put a hand to her mouth at his appalled expression. "Or, you know, at least you _were_. In fact my dad isn't even entirely convinced I actually know you."

"AMY!" Sonic barked, eyes huge, sweat pouring. "Oh my- _God_! Ya couldn't give me a heads up about any of this?!"

"You lead me on for over ten years and you think my parents would be OK with that?!"

"No, of course not! I just never thought about it like that – and besides, for almost ten of those years, we were kids. Did you forget that part?"

"My dad sure didn't. So he found it suspicious I was always chasing down some guy he never so much as saw outside a TV set."

"As usual, I didn't really think anything through. At all. Oh, my God." Sonic started wiping his hands over his face, huffing out exasperated breaths. "That really actually could not look worse. I have been a jerk, and even Vector has met your parents before me. Do they think you've been staying with me?! Oh, my **God** . . ."

Amy couldn't help herself. She toppled over, pealing loudly with laughter as Sonic watched on, bewildered and furious.

"What in bloody blue Mobius are you laughin' at, 'cuz I'm slightly havin' a panic attack here and for the life of me, **cannot** see the humour in this moment." But despite his anxiousness, a chuckle broke his lips as he watched her desperately trying to regain control of herself and failing, wiping at her eyes.

"I have watched you fight to the death with a maniacal, fat psychopath and countless evil monsters and now you're terrified of meeting my parents . . ." she choked through the waves of laughter, still patting at her eyes. "It's so funny, I wish they could see you now . . ."

"Well I don't." He stooped to help her up, still grinning at her outburst. "I'm a freakin' mess."

"You say that as if I didn't know that already."

"Oh you did?"

"And despite that, I'm going to date you. What does that say about me?"

Sonic smirked proudly, stretching his arms up before folding them behind his head.

"That you've got good taste."

She smacked at him in joking reprimand.

* * *

><p>"Well, here we are." Amy brushed her bangs back from her face, approaching an imposing set of gates. "Home sweet home." She tossed off the backpack and approached a hard wired intercom system built into the left side of the gate. She jabbed a button on it and leaned in.<p>

"Mama? You there? We're here!"

"Sweetheart! You're early! Oh, I'm so excited I can't even - "

"Mom." Amy laughed. "Can we come in first?"

"Oh yes, yes darling! The code has changed since you left. Let me key it in for you . . ."

As they stepped back to watch the gates slide open, Sonic was taken aback by the prestige of it. Iron-wrought, black imposing gates with the elegant, curving designs of art nouveau throughout, bordered on either side by brick pillars. At the very top of the gate, he noticed a very distinct crest that bore these words:

_Wigilate in aeternum, ut viri fortissimi_.

"'Watch forever, as mighty men of valor'. Holy shit, it's the crest of the Mobian Rebel Liberation Forces!" Sonic breathed, and Amy turned to him in surprise as he appeared to be supporting himself with the bars.

"Um, Sonic?-"

"Amy, it's becoming quite clear to me now that there is a lot you should have told me about your parents. Like you are filthy stinking rich. Like your family has an extremely strong tie to the MRLF - "

It was around that time that they broke through the trees that bordered the drive curving and winding its way up a hill; a sprawling front lawn of various trees, flora and statues presented itself before them. In the distance, a palatial, gothic Victorian-style mansion loomed. It looked like a home fit for a king; a beautiful feat of architecture rich with decorative patterns, finials, scalloping, elegant archways and lancet windows.

Sonic thought he was going to lose his cool and stroke out again. Because the place. Was. **Giant**. As a matter of fact, he was starting to get flashbacks from when he was a little kid – because he was almost certain he had seen this mansion on TV.

"Amy, I thought you were an only child?"

"I am."

"And there are how many rooms in this place?"

"You mean all the rooms, or bedrooms? There's 47 bedrooms, if you count the servants' quarters."

"I'm going to be sick . . ." Sonic mumbled helplessly. Amy began waving, and he looked up to see a vibrant red dot waving from the main archway of the entrance. It raced down a set of stairs toward them, and Sonic could quickly see the family resemblance – the same bright, mischievous eyes and bright smile.

"My baby, it's been too long!" The red female hedgehog squealed in the same high-pitched manner that Amy was so prone to using as she snatched Amy up into a gigantic hug. "Mom, please-" Amy begged. She released Amy and turned to Sonic, her gaze warm and her smile genuine.

"So this is the legendary Sonic. Hero of Mobius." She took one of Sonic's hands in hers. "I've waited so long to finally meet you - I can't believe you're here! I'm Autumn, I'm Amy's mom." She tittered, yanking him in for a death hug.

Yup. _Definitely_ Amy's mom.

"Look at you, you're so handsome!" She gushed, and then gave her daughter an abrupt elbow. "My word Amy, what a looker he is! No wonder you've been chasing this one around!"

"Oh my God, mom, stop . . ." Amy put a hand to her face, and Sonic couldn't help but feel amused because how often did he get to see Amy embarrassed? He swallowed down a chuckle with great difficulty.

"You're right, you're right, you two must be exhausted! Let me get Dante to bring your bags up to your rooms and we'll go meet your father in the library." A black hedgehog with a white chest sauntered up to them, bowing and offering up a clipped greeting. Sonic laughed at the formality of it all.

"Buddy, you don't have to bow to me. I mean, I'm practically homeless." The only response Sonic got from the hedgehog was a mildly horrified look, then a glance of snooty disdain.

"I shall take your bags, sir." He said pointedly, holding an arm out. It was so strange to Sonic, the concept of having someone handy to take care of his belongings. The black hedgehog was wearing an elegant long-tail coat and bowtie, and he moved hastily to gather up their bags and take them up the stairs. "Supper is going to be ready soon!" Amy's mother declared cheerily, leading them up the stairs behind Dante.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Sonic whispered to Amy, pointing to Dante. Amy just looked at him and tried hard not to bust out laughing.

"He'd be so offended if we tried." She whispered back. She then turned her attention back to her mother walking up the stairs ahead of her. "Um, mom, did I hear you right? Dad is here? Already?" Amy seemed to grow white, stopping short on the curving staircase. "I thought he wouldn't be here until tomorrow, I thought he had meetings until-"

"Nonsense!" Her mother gasped, waving a hand of dismissal behind her. "You think your father would miss this? You know there is no work in the world that's going to keep him from seeing his little girl, never mind meeting Sonic for the first time!"

"I was afraid you were going to say that . . ." Amy sighed, starting to look nervous.

"Now, don't be that way." Her mother scolded. "Your father has been waiting a long time for this!"

"I know, but I was hoping I might get a chance to give Sonic the low-down on dad before he was thrown into this-"

"You mean to tell me you haven't told Sonic who your father is?!" Autumn spun around at the top of the staircase, looking at her daughter in mortification. "Amy!" She hissed, eyes darting between the west wing of the hallway and the pair now arriving at the top of the stairs. "My God, the poor boy . . ." Autumn muttered to herself more than anyone, sweeping her hair away from her forehead fretfully.

"Um, is there a bathroom nearby? I might need to throw up." Sonic whispered, feeling a wave of nervous nausea breaking over him.

"Well that's it, then. Let's go meet him, he knows you're here. He's been waiting . . ." Autumn led them down the luxurious hall that bore detailed oil paintings of relatives past; along the hall were art nouveau candelabras, dark oak panelling, a high ceiling with antique moldings, luxurious dark red wine-coloured carpets along the floor with intricate weavings embroidered into their centre. Sonic had faced so many fearful, life-threatening situations in his life. How was it that this was perhaps one of the most terrifying moments of all for him? As Autumn reached out and pushed open the heavy, well-varnished oak doors to the library, Sonic felt his stomach drop like a mound of marble.

The library bore long stacked shelves of fine leather-bound books that reached up toward the finely wooden-panelled ceiling; it arched upward and curved into a dome shape that was lavishly decorated with custom carved moldings. Sandwiched between the bookshelves was a large, peak-mouthed fireplace with hand-carved pillars and embellishments. Surrounding it were several armchairs, chesterfields, a chaise lounge and a variety of lamps. Above the mantle of the fireplace hung a beautiful painting of six young, grinning Mobians donned in uniform, arms tossed about one another in comradery. Flying behind them was the MRLF flag. The fire was in, and the flames danced and accented the bright brass buttons and medals decorating the still hedgehog standing back on to the door.

Sonic recognized the hedgehog standing before the fire instantly, even from behind.  
>He had seen his silhouette on so many newsstands, on the television, in history books.<br>General Eli Rose.  
>He thought he was going to choke, then and there.<br>He had never known anxiety like this – not even in battle. His insides were fluttering like pitiful undergarments in a thunderous windstorm.

The man was austere, still.

"Papa?" Amy said gently, and the white hedgehog turned crisply with hands still folded behind his back.  
>The stern face bore a single golden eye, alert and bright like that of a bird of prey. A black patch was tied about his other, concealing where his other eye should be. He dropped his fierce disposition and held his arms out, and the movement sent dazzling refractions of light dancing off his medals along the dark wooden walls.<p>

"C'mere, sweetheart." He gathered her up, squeezing her firmly in his strong arms. His face had softened considerably, but his eye opened and regained its previous sternness as a throat cleared somewhere behind Amy. Sonic hadn't meant to draw attention – his throat was just so dry. My God, nervousness was too cheap a word for what he was experiencing. When that solidary golden eye rested upon him, he resisted the urge to buckle under the weight and intensity of it.

"So." The white hedgehog said pointedly, his expression considerably less gentle than it had been mere moments ago. With Amy now released, she stood back beside Sonic, eyes darting between the two male hedgehogs warily. "At long last, this is Sonic." The general walked forward, hands behind his back again, scrutinizing Sonic with his good eye as his came to attention before the nervous young hedgehog. "Well, you exist. That's nice to know for sure. Why have you decided to come here now, after all this time?"

"Dad!" Amy scolded, and Autumn's expression had grown anxious. Sonic cleared his throat again, parched and slightly terrified. This was already a nightmare. The tension in the air seemed palpable.

"Um, sir, it's uh, nice to meet you." Sonic extended his hand. The general looked down upon it, almost disapproving at first, but reluctantly took it. Sonic couldn't help but notice how unbelievably strong the guy was, just from a handshake. "I'm here today to tell you that I'm officially dating your daughter."

* * *

><p>I'm excited to be writing again! I have always wanted to do this idea. :)<br>For a look at my character designs for Amy's parents, the house that inspired me as a prototype for the mansion, and my design for the MRLF crest, visit my DeviantArt page: shazam26

I have a folder dedicated to this story.

See you guys soon!


	2. Ch 2: A Most Uncomfortable Dinner

The spread for supper was beyond anything that Sonic had ever seen in his life.  
>A roast, a full turkey, mounds of steaming potato and various cooked vegetables, stuffing, elegant silver boats of cranberry sauce, mustard pickles, beets . . . there was champagne bubbling in the delicate crystal glass next to his plate, but he only had eyes for one thing on the table.<br>Chili dogs.  
>Gourmet chili dogs on a silver platter.<p>

"I heard they were your favourite." Autumn giggled as she watched the blue hedgehog eye the bounty. "I made them myself!"

"Mom, really, you didn't have to do all this! You and Tony must be exhausted . . ."

"Who's Tony?" Sonic asked absently, still staring at the dogs. _So close_ . . .

"He's the head chef." Amy piped up, and it was the silence of one individual in particular that suddenly drew Sonic's attention away from the chili dogs - and that was a difficult feat in itself.

Sonic looked to the head of the table at Eli only to realize that the general had been staring at him the entire time. There was tension there, and everyone at the table could sense it.

"Here!" Autumn exclaimed, getting up abruptly and bringing the tray of chili dogs around so that Sonic could reach them. "Try one, you must be starving." She smiled, but Sonic still had his gaze locked with Eli's.

"You're pretty quiet, sir." Sonic observed, never one to dance around an issue. He met them head on. Quietly to himself, he desperately wanted this man to like him. Eli was a legend; he knew the tales of his participation in the rebellion growing up. His acts of heroism for Mobius had inspired Sonic as a spry young hedgehog to become someone worthwhile. Eli had made him believe that one individual could make all the difference. It had helped him shape who he was from an early age.

Now he was discovering that his childhood hero was his girlfriend's father; the one he had never bothered to meet. He had to make this right, and it would have to begin with talking to each other. Eli dotted at his mouth with a napkin, breaking his gaze for a moment to toss the cloth back onto his laps. He shot a wry glance at the blue hedgehog down the table from him.

"I was told that if I didn't have anything nice to say, then I shouldn't say anything at all." Sonic felt a cool sweat of discomfort climbing its way down his neck as the words made him shuffle uncomfortably. "All in all I think I'm doing a good job of it and I think I'd like to keep it that way, at least for tonight."

"I should've **known** it would be this way." Amy hissed, firing the napkin in her hand fiercely onto her plate. "This was a stupid idea. I don't even know why I come back here." She said darkly and then pushed away from the table in anger.

"Amy, _please_ . . . " her mother begged, but the pink hedgehog was already storming out of the dining room, letting the large oak doors slam with a mighty crack behind her. Sonic leapt up at the same time as Autumn, who held out a hand toward him. "Please, let me go to her." The red hedgehog pleaded, and Sonic reluctantly slid back into his chair as she raced out the door after her daughter. Once the door shut behind her, Sonic felt the silence of the room drape over him heavily like a suffocating blanket. Eli raised his glass of bubbly to his lips, drawing out a long sip before placing it back down and declaring:

"Well, since the ladies have left the room I suppose I can be quite frank."

Sonic thought he was going to sink through the floor with dread. That golden eye set itself upon him like a boulder.

"If you're ready to be a man about this, I'm going to cut to the chase." The General leaned forward, folding his hands before him, hovering over his dinner plate. "I love my daughter – more than any of my accomplishments with the military. I know it's selfish, but it's true. And for years now I have been estranged from her because of you. No phone calls, no letters, no visits – because she and I cannot agree on one very important thing." Eli sat forward further, bringing his fingertips together. "You."

Sonic's eyes widened, and he brought his arms up in a shrugging gesture of frustration.

"General Rose, I don't understand this. She's never spoken to me about either of you once. Not once."

"And haven't you ever been even remotely curious as to why that is?"

Sonic flushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, honestly, I-"

"The truth is, no. You've never been curious, because you've never thought about it. In fact, it seems to me that you hardly think about my daughter at all. How many times has she come close to death at the hands of that madman due to her proximity to you? What has she gotten in return for all her years of devotion, protection and danger? From what I've heard, she has been lucky over the years to get so much as a thank you from you."

"Sir, I-"

"You will wait until I am finished. I have also come to understand that many of the risky situations she has been placed in have been due to your negligence. You have spent a great deal of your time knowing her and leaving her behind, leaving her vulnerable to attack or capture." Eli's voice was starting to rise angrily. "My only daughter! And what do you know of her? What do you care of her? Hardly anything it seems, as every one of her friends deemed us relevant enough to bother to meet over the past decade, and you are the only one to neglect to do so."

Sonic felt as though he were a weight in the chair, mortification pinning him where he sat. Was this really happening?

"You know Sonic, for a long time, I thought you were a fabrication; an excuse Amy used to remain independent of myself and my legacy. I am actually disappointed that you **do** exist, for I could never have imagined that an individual could be as selfish and thoughtless as you would have to be to remain absent this long while courting my daughter. I had hoped that the man my daughter would choose would care about her at least a fraction of the amount that I do."

Sonic slammed his fist down on the table, seemingly unable to endure any more of this barrage.

"Alright, that's enough. I respect your title and what you've contributed to the well-being of my planet, but I will not sit here and be scrutinized like this. You talk about caring for your daughter, but I haven't seen you. I've seen her practically every day for the past twelve years, and where have you been? Because as far as I can tell, I'm the one who's been there for her. I have made some stupid mistakes over the past few years, but I have risked everything – I have put my own life on the line to ensure Amy's safety day after day. I would die for her, and there were many situations where I thought I had. We had some close calls together. There are certain things that I don't know about your daughter, _sir_, but I **do** know her. Better than anyone. And I think you'll find in that department, you're at a disadvantage." Sonic's usual saucy self was starting to show, and he got up from his seat. "Thank you for the lovely meal . . . now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do some damage control for you."

Eli glared after the blue figure furiously, but inwardly he couldn't deny that he was impressed. He had heard that Sonic had guts, but Eli was reluctant to believe all the stories he had heard, for he knew as well as anyone the tendency for romanticizing, the exaggerations that could take place when news traveled about a hero. He hadn't expected Sonic to have such an attitude, or to display such confidence in his relation to Amy. He was a headstrong little bastard, and Eli had to admit to himself, he'd felt a minute amount of pride rising in his chest at Sonic's defense of himself and his time with Amy. So the kid had the attitude . . . but Eli knew it took more than attitude to protect a whole planet, and Sonic would need a whole hell of a lot more than that to be worthy of protecting his little girl, never mind dating her.

* * *

><p>Sonic was surprised that when he approached Amy's room, her mother was standing outside, pacing fretfully. He went to her immediately and she turned to him with a look of desperation on her face.<p>

"Oh, thank goodness you're here. Maybe you can talk some sense into her." She took him by the shoulder affectionately and studied his face with concern. "Eli wasn't too rough on you, was he? He can be rather . . . blunt."

"I can handle him, Mrs. Rose. I can be rather blunt myself." Sonic grinned, and Autumn couldn't help the astounded look that came about her face._Bold_! She had known many bold men over the years, but hardly any that would dare stand up to her husband. She almost regretted missing it. She tried to hide a grin, imagining the expression on her husband's face when the young hedgehog started throwing back exactly what Eli was dishing out. If anything, that conversation could only have helped Sonic's case. Eli admired a man who stood his ground, no matter the ground he stood on.

"Good luck." She smiled sadly, making her way past him and disappearing down the hall. Sonic rapped softly at the door, leaning against it.

"Amy." He said in a hushed tone, and he heard her get up and lightly move to the door on the other side. The clicks of the locks on her door echoed loudly against the walls. She yanked it open swiftly, taking Sonic off guard for a moment as he stumbled into the room. She shut the door briskly behind her and spiraled toward him with a stricken look on her face.

"What did he say to you?"

"Whoa, relax. Nothing I couldn't handle." Sonic chuckled, and Amy sat on the floor with a groan.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't handle being in a room with him anymore. I thought I could do this. I really wanted to . . ." She put her head in her hands. "We never should have come here. I should have known it would be like this . . ."

"Amy!" Sonic crouched down, putting an arm about her shoulders. "Quit talking like this. It isn't like you. Come on. We've definitely seen worse than this."

"I know . . . " She sighed in defeat, still rubbing her face in her hands tiredly. "It's just so embarrassing. Dad being who he is . . ."

"I can't believe who your father is!" Sonic sputtered, putting a hand to his chest for a moment. Amy eyed him curiously. Did he look nervous?

"Speaking of not being like myself, can we talk about you?" Amy giggled. "You were stressed when we were coming here, but you've been a basket case since we've got here!"

"Um, just finding out after years of never meeting your parents that your father is a decorated war veteran - as in the most decorated war veteran on our planet. He only ended the Mobian-Terran war, no big deal, you know he's just on stamps and I've seen your freaking house on TV, Amy-"

"But he's just. My. Dad."

"He isn't **just** anyone." Sonic shook his head. "He's General Rose, Amy."

"Ugh." Amy grunted, standing and dusting off her dress. "Tell me something I don't know."

"I just think about all the years we've known each other. How could I not have known that?"

"Um, you never asked? Once?"

"You were living in a tiny apartment in downtown Station Square, and your dad is General Rose? Oh my God . . ." Amy was astounded as Sonic went back against the wall, holding his head in one hand. She couldn't recall ever seeing him so shaken up. He looked like he was going to be sick. "And you've just been roughing it with us for all these years when you're practically royalty-"

"I am **not**, royalty-"

"I'm a bum." Sonic's brows raised, staring off at nothing, and Amy choked out a laugh, studying him with a grin of disbelief on her face.

"Um, Sonic?-"

"I'm a bum, rolling in here practically off the street, meeting your dad for the first time in twelve years. Can you imagine what an-" Sonic leaned in, eyes wide but voice low "what an _asshole_ your dad must think I am? This broke, homeless hedgehog who's been dating his daughter, never so much as ask, never so much as talk to him, show up at his door . . ."

"You left out the part where you're the broke, homeless hero of Mobius." Amy snickered, her mood being lifted. She felt kind of guilty about it, but it was hard not to laugh. When had she ever seen Sonic like this? It was so unlike him!

"Hero of Mobius? **I'm** not the hero of Mobius, _he_ is! He was my idol growing up! The rebellion during the human occupation? The Terran-Mobian Armistice? You dad made that happen. He stopped the war. I'm freakin' out here - Amy, how could you never tell me your father was General Eliakim Rose?!"

"Daddy Eli isn't always the big hero people expect him to be." Amy said bitterly, and Sonic looked at her in surprise. "Sometimes he can be a real headstrong jerk."

"Hey, have some respect! He's a veteran." Sonic gaped, appalled. "I can't believe that all this time has passed, and that man is your father, and I had the gall to disrespect him like that because I had no idea-"

"Yeah well maybe you would have had an idea had you cared enough to get to know my family." She said curtly. "Besides. I like to make it on my own, and I always have. It's not the biggest surprise in the world that you've never met my father, because quite frankly, I didn't want you to. He and I don't talk often - don't know if you got that vibe. The less I depend on him, the less I have to listen to his judgement."

"Amy, what is goin' on with you? I've never seen you like this-"

"I've never seen you like this either! Here gushing about my **dad**." She emphasized the word with dripping sarcasm. "You don't know anything about him." She said wistfully, going to the window to stare outside.

"I know that we owe it to him that humans and Mobians can peacefully co-exist together on this planet since the war, isn't that enough?"

"We don't owe him for that." She said with eyes fixated on the stars. "Don't you understand? We owe **you** for that."

"**WHUT**?" Sonic barked, aghast. "Amy! Gimme a break-" She spun around on her heels so fast, she startled him.

"You risk your neck every day because one human, one that prior to you, not even the humans had control of, refuses to abide by my father's treaty enacting the armistice. And if you weren't here to stop him, the Mobians would declare war on the humans again."

"So what? Your dad got two armies to stop killing each other and live on this planet peacefully for the past twenty five years! Eggman is one guy."

"One guy that could destroy us all. And if you weren't here to stop him, he would. Everything that my father did . . . everything that armistice means could be eliminated in a moment by Eggman. My father is too proud to accept that. I always wondered how a man who went to war could be so childish. But now you know why I never come back here – why they have to visit me if they ever want to see me. Why you haven't heard about them, why you haven't seen them. It never ends well when I leave."

"Well then I pity your mother . . . I mean, what did she do?"

"I know . . ." Amy turned away in shame, seeming to choke up a bit at the mention. "That's what kills me the most. But she can be so old fashioned. She goes along with dad because it's easier, I guess, or he's got her convinced. He's so headstrong when he's got his mind made up."

"He won't budge?"

"He'd stand his ground until he starved there." Amy growled.

"Now who do I know with a personality like that?" Amy leered over at Sonic to find him wearing a shit-eating grin.

"Don't even go there . . ." She said in a warning tone, but her smile betrayed her. "You've got nothing on me right now, Mister-nothing-I-can't-handle. Except meeting my **dad** . . ." She guffawed, and Sonic gave her a sharp jab with his elbow, flushing with a laugh. "You know, maybe I can set you up on a date with him instead."

"Shut up, Amy."


End file.
